San Antonio Looks to Liven Downtown With Storefront Art

In Dallas, using art to activate empty storefronts is something that has managed to get developers, artists, museums, and city boosters all excited about art. There was the Dallas Contemporary’s Neiman Marcus Pop-up a few years ago, and current Deep Ellum Windows

Now San Antonio has gotten in on the game. The University of Texas San Antonio and Public Art San Antonio have teamed-up to take over vacant San Antonio storefronts with art installations, in a project called “X Marks the Art,” Texas Public Radio reports.

“We’re bringing art out of the museums and galleries from local artists,” [Public Art San Antonio’s Marissa] Laubscher explained, “and we’re placing them into the streets. So people who might not necessarily go to a museum or go to a gallery can experience local artists just by walking downtown.” The entire program is funded through the city’s hotel/motel tax.

The the first installation, called Shorelines, is by UTSA Architecture Professor and artist Taeg Nishimoto.